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WhinyAcademic

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II

II really feels like a true sequel to I. It's got about twice the content, twice the story, twice the characters, twice the everything. They really expanded on the first game. II has been my favorite since getting into the series for how huge it is, how much meat it has. Even more so with the Final Mix version finally in my hands after seven years of watching it on YouTube. The remixed music is outstanding, especially He's A Pirate (I LOVE fights in Port Royal now) and Desire for All That Is Lost. However, there are some flaws that stand out to me now, especially after having a terrific experience in 1.5.

Button mashing. It's a problem people have had with II for years, but I had never really paid it any mind until now. I spent 1.5 alternating between magic and physical combat pretty equally. Combo, Thundaga. Firaga, Firaga, Firaga, hit. Magic was pretty vital to 1.5, like Aeroga giving you a buffer to help, especially against Chernabog or the special Heartless, or Ursula's first boss battle. However, in 2, your problems can be solved with just hitting X all the time. Magic is so weak starting out that it's useless anyway.

This is another problem I'm finding. I feel so weak playing this game. It's not my levels, but it's just the way you have to play. When you hit someone with the Keyblade in 1.5, you felt the kick, you felt the Keyblade hitting them, and it did damage. Here, it feels like it takes an entire minute to kill a single Shadow or two, when in 1.5 even at the start it took just a combo or two. Hence I feel forced to resort to Drive modes very often to actually deal some damage. The Large Bodies and Fat Bandits are lethal. I never noticed this problem until now with 2.5. It's very frustrating and I feel like I'm going through the motions in this game, as opposed to 1.5 where even though it was a game I had played through about three times, I still had fun fighting and blasting my way through, with no gripes about the combat at all. I just feel so nerfed in 2.5.

II is a solid game, with tons of content and fun to have. But it just doesn't resonate with me this time. I definitely feel like I'm just going through to get the FM stuff like Terra, the Absent Silhouettes, and the Cavern of Remembrance. Oh, the Christmas Town stuff was great!

Lingering issues include the lip lock which if re:coded is any indication, will become a thing of the past going forward; the Pride Lands are still pretty watered down (this perception isn't helped by the fact The Lion King is my favorite movie of all time); the second visits to worlds with the odd exceptions of Agrabah, Beast's Castle, Olympus, Space Paranoids feel like cheap DTV sequels. Though I suppose that's the writer's faults for trying to follow up on a world following the movie plot's completion (especially for Halloween Town and the Pride Lands). The exceptions' plots didn't really end with the first visit anyway, so I guess they don't end until you kill the local Disney Villain.

On that note, I take points off for killing Oogie. Not that he hasn't come back from the dead already, but still. I love that gambling man.

Re:coded

Glad I skipped re:Coded the first time around. The movie was awful. It lulled me to sleep eventually. I really loved that there was hardly any lip lock in these cutscenes and the HD certainly shows, they were beautiful visually. Plot wise, it felt like "Oh boy, let's send Sora through the same Disney Worlds and occasionally talk about data and hearts." Not even having treats from the voice cast (especially the Cheshire Cat finally being voiced, the new guy doing a good job as Genie, and Hynden Walch sounding good as Alice too) made up for it. It's easily the weakest story of the series. At times it felt preachy, which 3D was guilty of too, when talking about hearts and the usual stuff. This is my first time actually going through re:coded on my own gaming systems (as I said I skipped the DS version but watched the secret ending and read the plot summary from Wikipedia) so now I can give it a proper review at least in terms of story.

There were some touching moments - especially the very meta moment when Donald and Goofy tell Sora they miss going on adventures with him, and the Roxas fight - but it… ugh. That felt almost like The Last Airbender at times. Just not recommendable to anyone. I consider myself a diehard fan, but I'm not blind. I smell the crap here.

BBS
Saving it for last, since it's the only game I've wanted in this bundle that I haven't gotten.
 

Oracle Spockanort

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I have done something I had never did in all of my playthroughs of BBS: I BEAT RUMBLE RACING (as Terra) GOD I HATE RACING GAMES/MINI-GAMES BUT I DID IT. Now I have to do it two more times...and Aqua doesn't get the same speed boosts that Terra and Ven get.
 

Kazr10

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I have done something I had never did in all of my playthroughs of BBS: I BEAT RUMBLE RACING (as Terra) GOD I HATE RACING GAMES/MINI-GAMES BUT I DID IT. Now I have to do it two more times...and Aqua doesn't get the same speed boosts that Terra and Ven get.

Hmm, but there is a sure-win route for all the courses. While following it, just shoot down anyone near you and when you are targeted, look backwards go into the attacker's path and guard.
 

ChibiHearts249

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I have done something I had never did in all of my playthroughs of BBS: I BEAT RUMBLE RACING (as Terra) GOD I HATE RACING GAMES/MINI-GAMES BUT I DID IT. Now I have to do it two more times...and Aqua doesn't get the same speed boosts that Terra and Ven get.
Racing in the game is super-easy, Spock XD
I'd be surprised if you tried your best and COULDN'T beat it~
 

maryadavies

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The worst are those cars in the timeless river. May god damn those pieces of crap for all eternity

I got by them in the original by summoning Chicken Little (his baseballs tend to make them stop so you can pound them muahahaha); since I have to save up for a PS3 before I can get the collections, I suggest you try that.

Me, I can't wait until I can get that ps3. ^^
 

wolfshadow

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One more week till I get my copy and a ps3 to play it on from my parents *is secretly hoping that they will ship it here sooner since postal service won't be running on christmas eve and christmas day* Ugh, life will be void except for getting food, work and bathroom breaks.
 

Articus

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So far I am enjoying it. Can't wait to take a bite of the extra bosses once I get to an appropriate level.

Anyone think of trying to play Terra, Aqua, and Ven at once? Like, keep up with each file at the same time?

I know the worlds are broken out in story by timeline, and each character visits the world at different times.
 

Precursor Mar

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Despite some problems, it's pretty much been an awesome experience overall. I've started both games on Critical and they're pretty hard, especially BBSFM.

Anyone think of trying to play Terra, Aqua, and Ven at once? Like, keep up with each file at the same time?

This is exactly what I did. I was going to do Aqua's story first from start to finish but I got a bit bored so I switched to Terra, and then Ven to keep things fresh.
 

Oracle Spockanort

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Hmm, but there is a sure-win route for all the courses. While following it, just shoot down anyone near you and when you are targeted, look backwards go into the attacker's path and guard.

Look backwards and guard...I never do that. I'll have to practice a bit.

Racing in the game is super-easy, Spock XD
I'd be surprised if you tried your best and COULDN'T beat it~

I'm quite literally racing game illiterate. I'm the person who manages to end up going backwards when drifting on a first turn in an arcade racer, or falling off the side of Rainbow Road AT THE BEGINNING in Mario Kart. When I played the PSP version of BBS it took me ages to get through Disney Town as Terra because I really was that bad. (In comparison, stuff like Ice Cream Beat and Fruitball are much more intuitive to me)

I only just found out I could drive and block at the same time like...two days ago.
 

ChibiHearts249

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I'm quite literally racing game illiterate. I'm the person who manages to end up going backwards when drifting on a first turn in an arcade racer, or falling off the side of Rainbow Road AT THE BEGINNING in Mario Kart. When I played the PSP version of BBS it took me ages to get through Disney Town as Terra because I really was that bad. (In comparison, stuff like Ice Cream Beat and Fruitball are much more intuitive to me)

I only just found out I could drive and block at the same time like...two days ago.
Well, you should be fine! Just find the shortcuts in the tracks and stay focused on being merciless >:3
Pitying your opponents or waiting to make a move will be your doom!

My family is pretty racing-game savvy, so this stuff is a breeze. But I too prefer the other games. Particularly Ice Cream Beat. But only on the harder modes. Easier modes are more difficult cuz I get impatient! XD
 

Articus

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Look backwards and guard...I never do that. I'll have to practice a bit.



I'm quite literally racing game illiterate. I'm the person who manages to end up going backwards when drifting on a first turn in an arcade racer, or falling off the side of Rainbow Road AT THE BEGINNING in Mario Kart. When I played the PSP version of BBS it took me ages to get through Disney Town as Terra because I really was that bad. (In comparison, stuff like Ice Cream Beat and Fruitball are much more intuitive to me)

I only just found out I could drive and block at the same time like...two days ago.

If it makes you feel better, I get excited when I'm not last in Mario Kart.
 

Oracle Spockanort

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Well, you should be fine! Just find the shortcuts in the tracks and stay focused on being merciless >:3
Pitying your opponents or waiting to make a move will be your doom!

My family is pretty racing-game savvy, so this stuff is a breeze. But I too prefer the other games. Particularly Ice Cream Beat. But only on the harder modes. Easier modes are more difficult cuz I get impatient! XD

Yeah, I always do that. The castle track is the worst, though, with all of those gimmick and the other racers having speed boosts from nothing.

Your family is lucky xD

Anyone think of trying to play Terra, Aqua, and Ven at once? Like, keep up with each file at the same time?

It seems like a lot of work to do that...

If it makes you feel better, I get excited when I'm not last in Mario Kart.

Being not-last is what always matters!
 

robvandam111

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I have done something I had never did in all of my playthroughs of BBS: I BEAT RUMBLE RACING (as Terra) GOD I HATE RACING GAMES/MINI-GAMES BUT I DID IT. Now I have to do it two more times...and Aqua doesn't get the same speed boosts that Terra and Ven get.


I understand how that feels. I just finished beating the Underdrome Games for the first time although I need to replay a few of them again to get the minimum score if I want to get the Conquerer Trophy.
 

kuraudoVII

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Got to admit, once I slogged through Beast's Castle, II: Final Mix became much easier to blaze through.

I'm gonna warn you, though: beware the ghost Heartless in the Underworld. Those things are incredibly fatal on harder modes. As tough as the Riders are, I think I hate those ghosts even more -_-

Geh. Those bastards hit HARD in Critical Mode. I had to restart my game twice because of them. Demyx's water clones at the end of that route were a complete joke in comparison (granted, they were always a joke, but still).

I actually got by them easy...for once. Not sure how, usually they give me more hell than anything later in the game.

Funnily enough, that was the same thing that happened to me. For the first time in any playthrough, I actually decided to see if I could guard when the cars in in their desperation attack. To my surprise...I could. So I just pulled a Terra and simply guarded before unleashing a counterattack.

I have done something I had never did in all of my playthroughs of BBS: I BEAT RUMBLE RACING (as Terra) GOD I HATE RACING GAMES/MINI-GAMES BUT I DID IT. Now I have to do it two more times...and Aqua doesn't get the same speed boosts that Terra and Ven get.

Ugh. Aqua's is much worse than Terra's. All I can recommend is you shoot at everything and abuse the drifting as much as you can, especially at that last castle course. THAT one is impossible to beat without drifting your way into every shortcut the course provides.
 

Gram

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Funnily enough, that was the same thing that happened to me. For the first time in any playthrough, I actually decided to see if I could guard when the cars in in their desperation attack. To my surprise...I could. So I just pulled a Terra and simply guarded before unleashing a counterattack.

I kept spamming trinity after the three cars appeared. lol
I actually had an easy time for most of the final mix critical, even Roxas was easy this time. I didn't have issue till Xigbar and Xemnas.
 

ChibiHearts249

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You know...I chose Critical because I wanted the challenge. Friends told me I'd have trouble with the extra bosses, but I'm lookin at it THIS way: They're gonna kill me in 3 hits anyway. No matter the difficulty.

That being said...? I regret my choices more often than not XD
 
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